Last September I moved to a new town into a house with my 5 year old black lab unfixed male. The neighbor has a ~6 year old male Keeshond looking dog (they got it from the SPCA so they don't know exactly what it is).

Both houses have fenced yards and the dogs are allowed to roam the yards freely. Things went along okay until the dogs began fighting between the fence boards (carving up the fence planks and drawing blood). My dog would walk towards the fence, go stiff legged, tail up and give a menacing bark which would draw the other dog to the fence and then they would go at it. I called him off a number of times and scolded him but he continues to do it when I'm not home and even sometimes when I am despite my verbal lashing.

I have spent a great deal of time training my dog with obedience and for hunt tests, he's a great dog in all ways except when it comes to the neighbor's dog. My dog has challenged other dogs in the past at hunt tests but that is quickly over and we don't see the dog again. With this situation at home I had hoped they would get use to each other and over time the feelings between them would have gone away but that was not the case.

About 4 months ago I was walking my dog and I noticed a dog was loose a few yards away. My dog went over to greet the dog and then I noticed it was the dog from next store which had got out. Well it didn't take long before they got into a serious fight, I seperated them scolded my dog and started to walk away when they got into it again. I would have let them sort if out but it was looking pretty serious and I did not want to have to look at vet bills etc. The other dog has very long hair so I'm not sure how much he can get hurt but I didn't want to take the chance.

So I'm looking for advice on how to correct this issue.

My idea was to bring them to a neutral area (like a school field) and have both of them leashed and very far away to start and just walk them back and forth under owner's control, slowly getting closer and closer and correcting for bad behaviour (or have one dog sitting beside a fence so you can put the leash around a pole for correction support and walk the other dog closer and closer to each other). Once you get a good correction then stop the training and reward the dogs with some ball/walk time. Then repeat the exercise a couple more times, then come back the next day and repeat until you can walk the dogs under owner control beside each other with no issue (this could take many many days). Then once they are good on neutral ground amp up the situation and bring them near to each other's house and do the same thing until you can walk each dog in each other's back yard with no issue.

It's hard to tell you or even give any advice without seeing exactly how they are acting.

By the way you have explained it, it sounds like your dog has territorial aggression, partially because he's not neutered. In unfixed males they have pent up frustration of not being able to mate so they take it out on another dog (all that energy and frustration is released on whoever is closest). My best advice would be exercise him (leash and play) 2 hours per day and see if it helps. If the dog gets into a fight don't scold the dog and then leave, you're teaching the dog that he got what he wanted, the other dog to go away.

If your dog gets into a fight, after it's broken up have him lay down beside you until he's no longer fixated on the other dog, then walk away without a word.

I would get a professional behaviorist for this, this territorial aggression could become much worse with time.

I would suggest neutering first. Unfixed males give off a scent I have been through this with Buddy he was not the aggressor but a lot of males would challenge him and really try and engage him in a fight after he was neutered and it may take a few months you will find a marked improvement and also working with the dog as you suggested. Neutering also drastically cuts down the chances of testicular cancer.

__________________
Robin
A dog has so many friends because they wag their tails not their tongues.
R.I.P. Buddy 2002-2008 The best Mastiff ever.
Now owned by Clark the Crazy American Bulldog

Tough call. Your dog is like the new boy at school and has to fight to find his place in the pack. Or thinks he does. You probably remember exactly this happening when you were a kid at school.

A solution for fence fighting that I've read about is to plant stuff along the fence to prevent them getting so close to each other. Thick hedging for example. I have not had to do this but I do wonder just how long it takes for the darn hedge to grow to a size that is effective. And I think it would be best done on both sides so you'd need the neighbour's co-operation. Maybe another fence inside the main one?

I think your own idea is worth a try but will take some amount of time and effort from you and the neighbour. I can see your concern when you met the other dog loose. I have a Lab and my friend has a Kees and my small Lab is easily twice the weight of her Kees.

I do not agree that your dog is feeling aggressive due to pent up sexual frustration. It just doesn't work that way, dogs aren't horny all the time like teenage human boys. They only get the urge when they can scent a female in heat. Of course maybe there is one in the vicinity that you are unaware of.

I agree, that you should neuter your dog (regardless of whether it helps with this issue or not - but I tend to think it certainly can not hurt!).

You mention he continues this behaviour when you are not at home. This is a simple fix - he should not be left unsupervised outside when you are not home. Eitheir crate him inside, or look at building a dog run (preferably on the other side of your yard that does not share a fence with this yard). I would be concerned that one of the dogs could jump the fence when you are not home, and get into a serious fight with no one there to break it up. Besides that, there are many concerns I would have about leaving your dog outside when you are not home (quick weather change, being let out of the yard, jumping the fence and mating with a female dog in the area, etc. etc. etc.)

"Many of the Earth's habitats, animals, plants, insects, and even micro-organisms that we know as rare may not be known at all by future generations. We have the capability, and the responsibility. We must act before it is too late." - Dalai Lama

My idea was to bring them to a neutral area (like a school field) and have both of them leashed and very far away to start and just walk them back and forth under owner's control, slowly getting closer and closer and correcting for bad behaviour (or have one dog sitting beside a fence so you can put the leash around a pole for correction support and walk the other dog closer and closer to each other). Once you get a good correction then stop the training and reward the dogs with some ball/walk time. Then repeat the exercise a couple more times, then come back the next day and repeat until you can walk the dogs under owner control beside each other with no issue (this could take many many days). Then once they are good on neutral ground amp up the situation and bring them near to each other's house and do the same thing until you can walk each dog in each other's back yard with no issue.

The only problem with all these corrections is that you may exacerbate the aggression between them. Tight leashes and corrections may very well teach both dogs that seeing or reacting to each other = pain/discomfort. It's also not teaching them what to do. I'm not sure your dog is as well trained as you think he is...otherwise he'd willingly be looking to you for direction. Have you ever worked on focus exercises? On basic training in a high distraction environment? Would you consider taking him to obedience classes again?

__________________
"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance." -Will Durant

I had the same problem with my neighbours unfixed male rotti.
My dog Buddy was fine with the other neighbours dog, but him and the ufixed rotti would go at it all the time, until one day Buddy actually busted through the fence and attacked the Rotti.
We then put up a snow fence (the plastic stuff) about 3 feet from the common fence, and also put tarp on the common fence, so they could no longer see or reach each other.

I believe it was our fault, we should have properly introduced them when we got Buddy (they had their dog first) because they only met through the fence I believe was a big part of the problem. (they need to be able to sniff eachother)

__________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What is man without beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected.